A Shaman's Veil

Thiv hauv is known as the shaman's veil. A veil is used to protect a shaman's spiritual identity and also as a way to remain focused during a ritual. Behind the veil, our eyes are closed. But even with our eyes covered, we use the veil as a way to see our path ahead. The veil is a tunnel vision that allows us to see what exactly is causing harm or sickness.

Traditional Hmong shamans wear either a red or black veil, although today new wave shamans incorporate multiple colors. Black veil shamans are typically from the ancestral lineage, or "Neeb Txwv Zeej Txwv Txoob." These are shaman spirits inherited and passed from grandparent to grandchild. It typically skips a generation, although in families with a strong lineage, multiple people from multiple generations can occur. Red veil shamans can also have an ancestral lineage, but they are "elemental" and are descendants from a strong shaman lineage. Folklore has it that while a breastfeeding mother was fleeing a violent demon, she came upon the Hmong immortal Saub. Feeling helpless as the demon got a hold of the mother, Saub prayed to the heaven's pleading for the mother's protection. The heaven's made a powerful roar and sent down a beam of lightening bolt, striking and killing both the demon and the mother. The baby survived that powerful lightening bolt but grew up with red hair. That baby would grow up to be a powerful shaman.

The color of a shaman's veil is determined by their shamanic lineage and also from their mentor/master. Most of the time, if a shaman's master/mentor wears a black veil, they too will presume a black veil. If their master wears a red veil, they too will follow in the footsteps. Nowadays, many new wave shamans incorporate white veils, orange veils, and veils with multiple colors. Shamanism runs in my family. The last person who was a shaman was my yawg koob/great grandfather, Suab Tub Lis. He was a black veil shaman as well.

To be honest, a huge part of me feels like I've lived behind a veil for a long time. Sometimes being behind a veil isn't always a bad thing. Even with a veil over my head, I've seen more than I ever had. The shaman veil is a part of who I am, even if we remain covered.